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Victor Felix Janowicz (February 26, 1930 – February 27, 1996) was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL Draft. Janowicz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976.

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2020)

Vic Janowicz

No. 40
Position:	Halfback
Personal information
Born:	(1930-02-26)February 26, 1930 Elyria, Ohio
Died:	February 27, 1996(1996-02-27) (aged 66) Columbus, Ohio
Career information
College:	Ohio State
NFL Draft:	1952 / Round: 7 / Pick: 79
Career history
Washington Redskins (1954–1955)
Career highlights and awards
Heisman Trophy (1950) UPI Player of the Year (1950) Unanimous All-American (1950) Chicago Tribune Silver Football (1950) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1950, 1951) Ohio State Buckeyes No. 31 retired Hula Bowl MVP (1952) Baseball player Baseball career
Catcher
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 31, 1953, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 10, 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Career statistics
Batting average	.214
Home runs	2
Runs batted in	10
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–1954)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 410 Average: 4.1 Touchdowns: 7
Player stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Early life

Janowicz was born and raised in Elyria, Ohio as son of Polish immigrants. He went to Holy Cross Elementary School and graduated from Elyria High School. The stretch of Seventh Street which runs along the south side of Elyria High is named Vic Janowicz Drive in his honor. In addition, a life-size painting of Janowicz hangs in the lobby of the school.

College career

Janowicz played college football at Ohio State University. A tailback in the single wing, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1950 as a junior. Woody Hayes, who coached Janowicz's senior year, said of him, "He was not only a great runner, but also passed, was a placekicker and punter, played safety on defense and was an outstanding blocker. Janowicz epitomized the 'triple-threat' football player."[1]

Professional career

After college, Janowicz passed up offers to play professional football in order to pursue a baseball career. He reached the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but hit only .214 over two seasons as a bench player. He returned to football late in the 1954 season with the Washington Redskins, and was their starting halfback in 1955. During training camp in 1956, he suffered a serious brain injury in an automobile accident that left him partially paralyzed and ended his athletic career.

Janowicz eventually made a full recovery and became a broadcaster of Buckeye football games. Later he worked as an account executive at a Columbus manufacturing firm and, from 1986, as an administrative assistant to the state auditor.

He died in Columbus, Ohio, of cancer in 1996.

References

External links

• Vic Janowicz at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Vic Janowicz at Heisman.com
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference

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